By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Unless something really dramatic happens, Giannis Antetokounmpo who is leading the fans vote in the East according to the second returns and Luka Doncic who is second in votes in the West will represent Europe in the upcoming NBA All Star Game.
Giannis is on course of being one of the two team captains – with LeBron being the other favorite – while Serb Nikola Jokic is seventh in votes on the West frontcourt and Slovenian Goran Dragic is ninth on the East backcourt.
Fans account for 50 percent of the vote to determine the 10 starters for the 68th NBA All-Star Game, which will take place at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C., on Sunday, Feb. 17 at 8 p.m. ET on TNT. All current NBA players and a media panel each account for 25 percent of the vote, with those voters completing one full ballot featuring two guards and three frontcourt players from each conference. Players may vote for their teammates or themselves. Voting for fans, players and media will conclude on Monday, Jan. 21 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
LeBron James leads all players with 2,779,812 votes to maintain the top spot in the Western Conference frontcourt. Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Dončić (2,220,077) continues to rank second in the West frontcourt and has climbed to second among all West players. The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Paul George(1,859,216) has moved up to third place in the West frontcourt, followed by the Golden State Warriors’ Kevin Durant (1,717,968) in fourth place and the New Orleans Pelicans’ Anthony Davis (1,564,347) in fifth place.
In the Eastern Conference, Antetokounmpo (2,670,816) has strengthened his position as the leading vote-getter. The top three players in the East frontcourt are unchanged, with Antetokounmpo joined by the Toronto Raptors’ Kawhi Leonard (2,092,806) in second place and the Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid (1,710,229) in third place.
The East guard group is again led by the Boston Celtics’ Kyrie Irving (2,381,901) and the Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade (1,199,789). The Charlotte Hornets’ Kemba Walker (858,798) continues to hold third place, while Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons (695,032) remains in fourth place.
The 2019 NBA All-Star Game will follow last year’s format: The two team captains will draft rosters from the pool of players voted as starters and reserves in each conference, making their picks regardless of conference affiliation. The captains will be the All-Star starter from each conference who receives the most fan votes in his conference. Details about the NBA All-Star Draft will be announced at a later date.
